What kind of car are you driving?

[guitarguy]

Me: 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix, 170k miles and running strong.
Wife: 2006 Honda Civic, 119k miles and counting.

Hoping to get close to 200k out of each vehicle before replacing...having mechanics in the family helps...but I'm going to "knock wood" after I click submit on this post for safe measure.

[Alskar]

2005 Nissan Altima 2.5S with 47K miles

[likegarden]

I a 2004 Buick Century with 70k miles, wife has 2002 Buick LeSabre with 105k miles, she will probably get a 2013 Buick Verano.

[Hector]

Wife and I drive
2005 Hyundai Elentra w/100k+ miles
1999 Toyota Avalon w/ 200k+ miles

[englishgirl]

2009 Toyota Prius.

[oragne lovre]

Toyota Camry 1997, 251000 miles, regular oil change, annual tuneup at a reliable independent car mechanic, a tool not a toy.

[Kathleen Ryan]

Thank you for asking, Bogledude

I finally purchased my dream car on October 6, 2012. It is a 2009 Chevy Corvette Convertible. I paid cash, after saving for about twelve years. I always wanted to do that! It had 16,327 miles. I got a great deal of $36,500.00 I also purchased the extra warranty. With taxes, etc., - out the door
at $41, 474.24.

http://images.gtcarlot.com/pictures/11369225.jpg

Call me superficial. I live in California, but it was the exact color I wanted; as close to, "Candy Apple Red," that came stock from dealerships.- (Crystal Red Metallic tintcoat). It is absolutely beautiful with little flecks of gold. I asked myself this question; "How would I feel if I didn't get this car ? Awful, so I knew I HAD to buy it. I also thought that in a few years I'll be too old to really enjoy it like I do now. I didn't want to end up saying, "I regret not buying it." I park it in the carport with the cover over it when I don't drive it. When I take the cover off, it is exciting every time I see it. Then when I start her up, Wow, it is such a nice sound. When you get on it the baffles open up and it has that wonderful tuned dual exhaust sound.

It has a, "cashmere" ragtop, and matching interior. I always saw the black top and interior, but the light top is stunning with the red. Every time I take it out-(which is always exciting), and I park, people come up to me and we generally spend a few minutes together talking about corvettes. I absolutely love it.

These are the options:

It has a manual transmission-which I wanted, with the tuned dual exhaust. It generates 6 more hp than stock, to total 436 hp total. The first owner paid, $1,000.00 more for this option.

It has a:
Z-51 performance package with larger cross drilled brake rotors
Heads up display
Side impact airbags
Telescoping steering wheel
Heated memory seats
Power convertible top
Dual zone climate control
Polished aluminum 15 spoke wheels - 18" Front, 19" rear
Tuned dual exhaust with baffles - nice and loud! --->Varoooom
6 cd player-upgraded Bose stereo with 7 speakers
Fog lamps
Blue tooth

[destinationnc]

2007 Hyundai Elantra with 50,000 miles but for the last few years it's primarily been a city car so not adding much to the mileage. I'm nearing purchasing either a used (2010-2012) Subaru Outback or possibly a 2013 since the used prices aren't that drastically lower - there is a big difference in the sales tax in my state for a used vs. new car however. I'm planning to bring the Elantra to Carmax to get a quote on what they would purchase it for to have something to counter what the dealer may offer for a trade in. I don't need 2 cars, but don't feel the need to dump the Elantra far below what it may be worth.

[Lon]

I am retired and don't commute and am driving a 2001 Toyota Camry XLE with 65,000 miles. Wife drives a 1991 Mazda MX6 with 80,000 miles.

[Grt2bOutdoors]

1996 Honda Civic - 56000 miles, regular oil changes and maintenance, use public transit for employment mostly
2010 Subaru Outback - 34000 miles, regular maintenance, use this regularly.

Just need a reliable car that runs - not into materialism, but then I wouldn't be on this forum if I were.

[MoneyOCD]

me: 1996 Volvo sedan...to be driven for the forsseable future.

Ha!
I thought we will be only ones with Volvo till I saw your post. And interstingly enough we are in KY.
Guess bourbon goes well with swedish cars

2005 Volvo XC70
2000 Volvo S40
1999 Jeep Wrangler

[origami]

2006 VW Jetta - 53K miles.
Mostly use it for weekend trips, walk to work and everywhere else during the week.

[jlg]

2006 Volvo v50 T5 AWD ~65,000mi
2012 Volkswagen Jetta Sportswagen TDI ~5500mi

Go Wagons!

[aude]

Late 90's BMW sedan (I maintain it myself, well 90% of the work, as a hobby). Very smooth, safe and still looking good.
Mid-00's Honda minivan (I would maintain it if it ever needed much of anything).
Paid-off and worry-free.
If you can learn to turn a wrench on the easy stuff, even German luxury cars are not actually that expensive to have around.

[kayo]

2006 sedan, Detroit iron, purchased used with 2.5 years/20k miles on it

[ofcmetz]

2007 Toyota Sienna - 95,000 miles
2007 Toyota Tacoma - 85,000 miles

Sold my 01 Civic a little over a year ago and bought the Tacoma. I do miss the excellent MPG of that civic

[denismurf]

06 Buick LaCrosse with 73K miles.
The bench seat and ride are perfect for my back, so will probably drive it "forever."

[buckstar]

2011 Honda Odyssey 10,100 miles
2009 Toyota Camry 20,300 miles

[Dad3Boys]

2008 Ford Fusion SEL, a great car, bought in 11/2007 and it now has 161,000 miles on it. Hoping it will last until next summer - so far, so good.

2008 Chevrolet Impala (the most boring car known to man!!), 61000 miles on it, the kids have driven it back and forth to high school for five years.

2012 Chevrolet Malibu (leased), for son no. 1, in college. Didn't want to invest the cash, so we leased instead!

[crowd79]

I drive a 2002 Mazda Protege that I bought used in 2006 for ~$8k @ 90k miles. Ended up only paying about $3k in the end, because the following year the insurance company totaled it from a hailstorm, but I kept the car anyway. Still driving it today, with lots of dents, but heck I'm happy. Gets me from point A to point B, just a few repairs here and there, but no car payments for years now......

[wander]

1997 Nissan truck.

[rmark1]

2011 Hyundai Santa fe 13,000 mi (holds wifes wheelchair better than the corolla did)
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 43,000 mi (bought for cash off craigslist)

[BobStrauss]

2013 Kia Forte SX. I like it a lot as a cheap compact car with some bells and whistles. Got mine for $19.500 (after rebate and grad discount), fully loaded with 173 hp engine (decent enough for highway needs), leather, navigation, heated seats, sunroof, nice stereo and 17" wheels. Oh, and a 10 year warranty.

[bengal22]

2005 chevy truck
2009 Caddy CTS

[Petrocelli]

2011 Mercedes C300. Black on black. Nice.

[etf]

2011 Mercedes CL65 AMG.

[protagonist]

2006 Honda Element. 112K miles. Great vehicle.
I'm amazed at how few posters have cars less than five years old. I wonder how the proportion of posters on this site with cars less than five years old compares with that of the general public.
Of course, age may play a factor (I imagine younger people replace their cars more often, both for work needs and (ahem) to attract a mate?)
There may also be selection bias...this is not a place to brag about your brand new shiny whatever I suppose.

[Fallible]

Thank you for asking, Bogledude

I finally purchased my dream car on October 6, 2012. It is a 2009 Chevy Corvette Convertible. I paid cash, after saving for about twelve years. ...

It has a:
...
Tuned dual exhaust with baffles - nice and loud! --->Varoooom
...

Congratulations on your deserved purchase in cash after many years of saving. Your mention of the baffles and “varoooom” reminded me of a time many years ago when the boyfriend of one of my college roommates came to pick her up in his newish Corvette. He backed it up to a building and said, “Listen to this.” He gunned the engine and we heard this incredible roar. “Hear that?” he asked us. Knowing nothing about sports cars or cars at all, we said what an awful sound that was and asked him what was wrong with the car. With a disgusted look, he told us it was supposed to sound that way. (I can’t remember if they broke up after that.)

Happy trails.

[Petrocelli]

2011 Mercedes CL65 AMG.

Very nice.

[TRC]

2012 Acura TL SH AWD with 13,000 miles

Wife drives a 2010 Honda odyssey EXL with 50,000 miles

Honda rocks!

[upperleftcoast]

Appreciative reader of this great site. First post.
What car? Best one ever made. 1987 VW Vanagon hardtop Wolfsburg Edition, 240K miles. No sink/stove/fridge. Back facing jump seats, pop up table, full size bed in back with snap in curtains for privacy when camping. Rear wheel drive, 4 speed manual, can carry 7 in relative comfort but that's hardly ever needed. Cattle dog loves it. Girlfriend too. Surprisingly fun to drive. 20 MPG, not bad all things considered. With upgrades and good tires can handle winter conditions, and is of course a star at the beach. What better way to cheaply explore the great NW? 25 years old and going strong.

[Firewood42]

A 2012 F-150 XLT 4 door 4x4 with 6.5 foot bed and Ecoboost engine. Paid cash. Commuting mileage is 22 mpg, lifetime mileage including some towing, off road driving is 19.1. I use if for all the things country people need a truck. If we have snow I can't get out of my lane or down our gravel road without 4wheel drive. I tow a trailer with lawnmowers in the summer. I have even towed a trailer with a bulldozer to grade my lane. Haul fertilzer, seed, manure, and top soil. Go off road for the best deer hunting and may have 2 or 3 deer to take to where my wife and I butcher them.

Have a tonneau cover on the bed and when we head south for the winter we have the bed full of luggage, home canned food, and all the essentials to stay in the south for two months. Still can haul 5 passengers in complete comfort in fact the most comfortable vehicle I have ever driven. Great resale value, this is my third one and get one every 2 years. The salesman come running when I come in to trade, they usually sell my used truck in a couple of weeks.

[Freg]

1997 Toyota Avalon: 160k miles
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt: 48k miles

[Kathleen Ryan]

Hi Fallible,

Thank you for sharing your very funny corvette story.

I grew up in CA, so there is a, "car culture" kind of thing that goes on here. If you saw the old movie, "American Graffiti," this explains it very well. I've been to many car shows, but my favorites are the the classic old American cars where cars are chopped and custom painted. In my opinion, the best of the best show for this is, "Hot August Nights" that takes place in Reno, NV every year. A few years ago, American Graffiti had its 30th Anniversary and some actors/actresses from the movie were there signing autographs: Richard Dreyfuss, Bo Hopkins, Paul LeMat, and Candy Clark. I spoke with all of them, and had them autograph my 30th Anniversary poster. What fun ---->Harrison Ford WASN'T there though. I think this was his first movie. He had a small part in the film, as the guy who lost the race to, 'John Milner'-(Paul LeMat).

I'm hoping to get my personalized license plate to read: "Chery CV" for, "Cherry Corvette." (Cherry was taken already.)

My first choice was, "R3D H♥T" It was not approved because the CA DMV wrote me a letter stating, that numbers, and symbols can't be used for letters and vice versa because it causes confusion. (RED HOT was already taken.)

If this doesn't get approved my third choice will be: 436HP4K (436 horsepower for Kathleen)

[Sunny Sarkar]

Sold my "Old Faithful" 1998 Toyota Camry commuter with 198k on it (and still not making a single funny noise, & running as smooth as ever) to a friend who's handy with cars and plans to drive it for several more years. This is after a recent job change reduced the daily commute miles on my own car to zero - I either work from home via a remote connection or fly to another city where I use employer provided rental cars. The 1997-2001 generation Camry is probably the most reliable car ever made IMO. The only other car I fell so in love with was my 1999 Mazda Miata that became too small after we had the kid.

The Camry and the Miata are survived by a Honda Accord & a Lexus ES, both 2007 models. My hope is to hand over the 2007 Honda to my daughter when she turns 16 in 2019 or goes to college in 2021 - but I'm not sure how I can make it last that long without becoming too dangerous for her.

[astrohip]

About a week away from a 2013 550i (at the port, should be here within 5-7 days) . Trading in a 2007 550i. First time ever, I am leasing a car.

[TomatoTomahto]

2011 Mercedes CL65 AMG.

Very nice.

Ditto.

For us:
2013 Volvo XC60 T6
2012 Range Rover Supercharged
2007 Range Rover normally aspirated

[teacher]

2012 Honda CRV.
This is my third CRV, all paid for with no financing.

[market timer]

Me: Public transportation (last owned a 1997 Jeep Wrangler over 10 years ago)
Wife: Public transportation (last owned a 2001 Honda Civic over five years ago)

[Phineas J. Whoopee]

I use public transportation. Where I live it is both convenient and economical.

On the very rare occasions when I need to drive somewhere I rent a car for the day, typically a subcompact but I have rented vans and even combination vehicles when warranted.

PJW

[oragne lovre]

Sold my "Old Faithful" 1998 Toyota Camry commuter with 198k on it (and still not making a single funny noise, & running as smooth as ever) to a friend who's handy with cars and plans to drive it for several more years. This is after a recent job change reduced the daily commute miles on my own car to zero - I either work from home via a remote connection or fly to another city where I use employer provided rental cars. The 1997-2001 generation Camry is probably the most reliable car ever made IMO. The only other car I fell so in love with was my 1999 Mazda Miata that became too small after we had the kid.

The Camry and the Miata are survived by a Honda Accord & a Lexus ES, both 2007 models. My hope is to hand over the 2007 Honda to my daughter when she turns 16 in 2019 or goes to college in 2021 - but I'm not sure how I can make it last that long without becoming too dangerous for her.

Like your previously owned 1998 Camry, my 1997 Camry is still running so smoothly and so low-maintenance that it's hard to let it go. It gives me peace of mind. I plans to maintain the car well so that I can hand it over to my daughter when she turns 16 in 2017.
Reading your last sentence makes me think. Is it truly dangerous to give a younger driver a reliable, albeit old, car? If it is, what's the inherent danger?

[galectin]

1996 Ford Aerostar Van 219,000 miles

2001 Subaru Legacy Wagon 195,000 miles

Both are running fine and have been good cars, but I will probably have to replace them in the next few years.

[tadamsmar]

Ford E350 passenger van

[puck2005]

2001 CR-V 108K
2003 Cavalier 148K

[02sbxstr]

2009 VW Tiguan, 41k
2013 Audi A4, new October
and, my baby,
2002 Porsche Boxster S, bought certified Feb 2004, now @ 28k and put up for the winter yesterday

The Porsche, which I understand some would see as an extravagance, is entirely original and maintained by the local Porsche dealer to preserve it's resale value.

All owned outright. We drove econoboxes until we were in our late 40's (now early 60's). We've been diligent about saving since oue early 20's; stayed in our jobs (1 job change in 40 years for my spouse, forced by layoff), houses (3 houses in 36 years, 27 years in the middle one), and marriage (1). We have felt we deserved to indulge ourselves a bit, seeing as how we could well afford it (IM[our]HO) and are car people. We fully expect to run these cars a long time, and wanted to position ourselves with entering retirement (this year) with new cars.

As my wife has said many times, you never saw an armored car following a funeral procession.

[dewey]

2011 Audi Q5, 2.0T 11,000 miles. Purchased new.

[norookie]

10yr old toyo...

[Jwalker678]

2010 Lexus rx 450H, 40k miles. I traded a 2009 Nissan GTR which is Nissan's super car and the extreme opposite of the Lexus My son still has not forgiven me for selling the GTR.
1994 Toyota Supra, 135k miles bought 1997. Rediculouslt fast and fun to drive even after all the years.

[jegallup]

2011 Prius "Five" in silver with a rather dreary gray interior. Got this new a year ago with all available goodies (nav, backup camera, radar-adaptive cruise control) for about $36K with 3-year zero-interest financing. We've taken one long trip in it and found it comfortable. It is not "fun to drive" in the sense that a sports car is, but the many gadgets and the challenge of attaining high mileage (I've averaged 49.6 MPG over 10,000 miles so far) are entertaining in themselves.

[stoptothink]

I traded a 2009 Nissan GTR which is Nissan's super car and the extreme opposite of the Lexus My son still has not forgiven me for selling the GTR.

My GFs boss has an '11 GTR, I've driven it a few times to run little errands for him. Amazing vehicle, if only I was closing in on a 10-figure net worth like he is.